Rina, Following-Up, and Dexter

First, to set your minds at ease: Kathryn and I are safe and sound. Hurricane Rina has passed us, moving north to the Yucatan peninsula. It's been downgraded to a tropical depression and might shower us with precipitation for the next few days, but it shouldn't disrupt our travel plans for next week's beach trip. Nice.

Next, I'd like to give you a brief follow-up on my last blog post. I read this earlier today. I'm disappointed and perturbed that the mayor would claim that "the man pulled a fast one on us,"--the man, I assume, being my fellow Peace Corps volunteer. I'd also like to point out that rainbows are now, apparently, offensive, so be careful fans of colorful t-shirts and Care Bears! I'd hate for you to be mistakenly agitating those around you.

All of this discussion leads me to Dexter. I read another interesting article here, about one of Kathryn's and my favorite television shows. For those of you unfamiliar with Dexter, he's a serial killer serial killer. At first glance, it's gory and risque in a way we've all come to expect from HBO. However, after a period of desensitization, Dexter begins to grow on you. You begin to realize that by following his train-of-thought, he makes logical conclusions. Eventually, you begin to root for him--or at least we did.

This season, Dexter comes face-to-face with a new spectre--religion. As a scientist, he's the archetypical analytical mind that requires empirical data and hard evidence. Except now, his world collides with that of two deeply religious individuals: the born-again ex-con and the Revelation expert responsible for the latest string of killings.

So what does this have to do with rainbows in Belize?

I could not be more excited for this season of Dexter because it creates the space for dialogue. Open-mindedness and tolerance are shaping up to be main thematic elements. By exposing the viewing public to these themes, I hope that society at-large can begin to think more critically and speak more openly when encountering the religiously other.

When I read news--whether Belizean, American, or other--my eye gravitates towards the religious topics. The unfortunate truth is that religion rests at the heart of some of the most heated debates of our time--abortion, sexual orientation, evolution as public school curriculum. Furthermore, history is peppered with instances of religious groups oppressing and enacting genocide upon others--the Crusades, the Inquisition, Israel/Palestine, to name a few. Even to this day, there remain religious undercurrents in many of the world's armed conflicts. Religious differences continue to divide humanity.

Currently, Dexter shows the varied levels commitment to one's faith and the potential for misinterpretation and misuse. For Dexter, religious experience is a last resort in a time of desperate need. For the character of Brother Sam, it's the motivation for a new life and an explanation of the otherwise inexplicable. And for Doomsday killer, it's a rationalization for death and violence. Highlighting these differences in men with similar personalities only shows how little divides disparate religious views.

It's instructive to remember that Jesus was most critical of those of his same faith. He did little to truly proselytize, but rather let his actions speak for themselves. Apart from the tables of certain money-changers, the only violence in Jesus' ministry was that done to him. Like God saving the pagan city of Nineveh, Jesus spoke a message for all humanity. And, in the context of the current discussion, if Jesus had to choose a serial killer, he would choose Dexter over the Doomsday killer any day.

When the season ends, I really hope Dexter remains agnostic. I think he'll bridge the gap from pure atheist to the agnostic, "I can't count it out," perspective, and that will be a win for me. The world needs to see positive models of discussion of religious differences. If that can happen, then hopefully demonizing rainbows is the next thing to go.

Peace,

Cisco